(clockwise from top left: The Smyrk; Jerome and Luqman of Funkface; Brian Tate and Neycha during the Shrine for the Black Madonna set; Jordan and the crew; Kudu; the crowd; the Electric Sliders; Neycha during her acoustic set)
For the most part, the rain held off, so the Brooklyn Best Fest, with its decidedly Black rock slant, happened, notwithstanding the dampness. Hats off to all the bands and the fans that persevered through the rain.
Glad I got to see The Smyrk. It’s true: If John Legend decided to do a rock album, he might sound like Doron Flake.
Funny, but I just met Neycha last Tuesday, and had no idea she has such a powerful voice. She’s a strong songwriter, too, as was abundantly clear during her acoustic set. Looking forward to hearing her plugged in.
Kudu were a lot of fun. They had that whole retro (as in 80’s) Depeche Mode/Yaz vibe. Their music got a group of young women doing the Electric Slide.
Trevor Exter has a really unique style of playing the cello, including using it as percussion. His sound is quiet, fierce, and propulsive, and it reminds me of Rodrigo y Gabriela, another current favorite of mine.
Shrine for the Black Madonna continues to stretch to include many musical influences under one tent. Shrine is, quite possibly, what it sounds like when a band’s influences are bravely encouraged to rush the gate at the same time.
Check out the MySpace links in the previous post if you’d like to hear music.
